Scot jailed for raping 12-year-old girl in car park after contacting her through TikTok

A Scottish man has been jailed in England for raping a 12-year-old girl in a car park after he contacted her on TikTok.

In January 2024, Gary Shields contacted the schoolgirl through the social media app. The 37-year-old complimented the girl and swapped numbers with her.

They continued to communicate through WhatsApp, Snapchat and video calls.

On February 2, Shields travelled from his home in Scotland after arranging to meet the victim in Penwortham, Lancashire.

He drove the 12-year-old to a car park where he raped and sexually assaulted her.

The attack was reported after the victim’s parent discovered messages on her phone. Shields was arrested and while he admitted to conversing with the girl online, he denied raping or sexually assaulting her.

He was asked if he knew the victim’s age. The 37-year-old said that he couldn’t remember, but he knew she was young.

When Shields was asked whether the girl was wearing a school uniform at the time of the attack, he said he thought so.

Throughout his interview, Shields blamed a drug addiction for his behaviours. When asked if he was sexually attracted to children during his drug addiction, he responded ‘could be.’

At the time of the offence, he was on bail by Police Scotland with conditions to not have contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Examination of Sheild’s devices found images of the victim and google searches including the name of the victim’s school.

There were also indecent images and an indecent video found on his phone.

Shields was charged with the rape of a girl under 13 and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court on July 16.

On November 3, the convicted rapist was jailed for nine years with an extended licence period of a year.

In a victim statement the schoolgirl said: “When I met him, I was shocked because he did not look the age he had told me, he looked older.

“This worried me as I thought that he would not let me out of the car if I said anything, so I felt I had to go along with it.”

DS Jenny Cobham of Preston Child Protection team added: “Gary Sheilds is a despicable, perverted individual. Despite saying he couldn’t remember his victim’s age, he was well aware that she was a child and still chose to prey on her.

“Despite her young age, the victim has shown an incredible resilience throughout proceedings, and I can only commend her for her bravery. I hope the knowledge that Sheilds is now serving a significant prison sentence will allow her to begin to move forward.

“These types of crimes will never be ok. We are committed to preventing it and bringing anyone responsible to justice.

“If you, or someone you know, is a victim of any sexual offence, I want you to know that we will listen to you, we will investigate appropriately and we will do all we can to get you justice.”